Kelly and Kevin at Brooklake Country Club

Posted on October 11, 2022 by New Jersey Bride

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How did you meet?
We met at college. I was a freshman and Kevin was a sophomore. He had just transferred from Rutgers. We met at a baseball house party. He was interested in me, but I saw our relationship as strictly friends so we continued a friendship throughout college. After college graduation, we kept running into each other. Whether it was down the Shore in Belmar or up in North Jersey for NYE, the world was clearly trying to bring us together. We didn’t start a romantic relationship until July 2017 when my date to my friend’s wedding canceled on me last minute, so I invited Kevin two days prior. Without any hesitation, he agreed to come and we hit it off. From that moment on, we have been together since.

How did you get engaged?
Kevin proposed on July 3, 2020. We had talked about getting married and starting a family together and even went to pick out a ring. I knew it was coming eventually. My birthday is July 4 and the day before we went on a hike. Apparently, Kevin had the ring the entire time while hiking, but didn’t think it was the best moment to propose. We had dinner plans later. Miraculously I was ready early so we headed out to the beach for a stroll first. There is a little beach area in Atlantic Highlands where the ferries come in, down the street from our dinner location and that’s where Kevin proposed. I have no idea what he said—I blacked out as most girls do. We had a nice dinner where we barely ate because we were so excited and met friends later at a bar to celebrate. The next day, my dad and brother had planned a 30th birthday BBQ for me and that’s where we surprised all our friends and family and told them the news.

Details of the day!
We had our ceremony and reception at Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park. It was the most beautiful June day with sunny skies and warm weather. We got married outside on the patio with all our friends and family. We even had one of our good friends marry us. We went the traditional style and did not do a first look, hence extending cocktail hour for an hour and a half for guests and, specifically us, to enjoy. We had a seated dinner, toasts from the father of the bride, two maid of honors and a best man. We danced the night away with some classics and some of our favorite EDM tunes. The groom and groomsmen wore light gray with steel blue ties to match the bridesmaid dresses. Our colors were blues, greens, white and peach. We had succulents, peonies, spray roses, anemones, ranunculus and hydrangeas. Our theme was floral and a tribute to our two dogs, Riley and Lucy, who couldn’t be there at our wedding (prior obligations). The entire wedding was romantic, fun and personable.

Why did you choose your venue?
We fell in love with the grounds first and the idea of having a ceremony on the patio overlooking the golf course. The cocktail room and reception space were big enough to fit our guest list without them feeling too tight. Loved the large dance floor and the hospitality our wedding coordinator provided us. Brooklake was the perfect space for us who wanted a modern ballroom, indoor/outdoor feel and natural light from the large windows.

What was on your menu?
We are big fans of cocktail hours at weddings so we went big with mini hotdogs, seafood tower, BBQ station, pasta station, artisan table, lamb and carving station with plenty of passed apps. For dinner, we started with the custom Brooklake salad then for the choice of entrée: Petite Filet Mignon, pan-seared snapper, pan-seared organic French cut breast of chicken or wild mushroom risotto. All entrées were served with herb-roasted fingerling potatoes and seasonal farm-fresh vegetables. For dessert, Palermo’s made our wedding cake, which was a white frosted buttercream three-tiered cake with red-velvet cake and cream-cheese filling. We had little figurines of our dogs on top of our cake, which was too cute. We also had a sampler platter for every guest that included chocolate soufflé, NY cheesecake, mini warm apple tartan and chocolate-dipped strawberries with fresh whipped cream. We also rented a ‘smores cart to sit on the patio from Simply Smiley. They had mini sternos to roast marshmallows and the choice of Reese’s Peanut Butter cup, Hershey’s Cookie & Crème, and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate. We had a full coffee bar for specialty coffees. We had an open bar all night. Signature drinks were Riley’s Rita (tequila, mezcal, Ancho Reyes Verde, lime, strawberry syrup and Peychaud’s Bitters) and the I Love Lucy, which was a Jack Daniels and Coke. We did a late-night food truck when guests left that sat in front of Brooklake. Jersey Johnny’s served the bride’s favorite, hotdogs, chicken fingers, french fries, pork roll egg and cheeses, and cheesesteaks.

All about your gown!
My gown’s designer was Calla Blanche. It was the last dress I tried on. I went to almost every bridal shop in the state of New Jersey and almost went to Philly! I’m more of a shop-around kind of girl. I did almost buy the first gown I ever tried on, but something was missing. Jaehee in Englewood was the last bridal shop I went to. There I tried on my gown and the first gown. after comparing the two and with a little help from my godmother and aunt, the Calla Blanche dress was the winner. It truly made me feel like a princess. I loved the cut of it and how it was sexy with a plunging neckline and sheer material, but also comfortable with the full A-line skirt. The floral design really popped out to me as I knew I wanted a wedding full of flowers, including those in my dress, veil and hair pins.

What was your favorite moment?
That is so hard! I loved every moment. I guess my favorite part was having all our friends and family in one place together. When can you say that everyone you ever loved would be in one place at the same time again?

One detail you couldn’t live without?
Our personable details especially those that involved my mother who passed away years ago. Not having her there for the wedding was so difficult but I’m happy we could include her memory in some aspects of the wedding. Items were a garter made from my mom’s dress, my mom’s picture on my boutique, the wearing of my mom’s wedding bands and her being mentioned in our ceremony.

Did anything go wrong?
A whole table of place cards went missing. Still to this day, I’m not sure what happened to them, but those people were able to find their seats!

First dance song?
“Let My Love Open the Door,” by Pete Townshend. It was the slowed version from the movie Jersey Girl.

Any advice for future brides?
Enjoy the planning process. I personally thought it was so fun. Take your time, review vendors and don’t get worked up over the little things. On the day of, enjoy every moment! It’s true what they say, it goes by so fast!

Honeymoon location:
Spain for 10 days. We started in Ibiza then Mallorca then Barcelona. Amazing weather, food and overall experience.